1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toolholders for metal working operations and, more specifically, to a toolholder having a pocket with elongated seating pads for accommodating matching seating pads of a cutting insert mounted within the pocket.
2. Description of Related Art
A goal of most metal working operations is to perform a given machining task in the least amount of time and in a manner that will not result in premature tool failure. In particular, in a milling operation using on-edge cutting inserts within pockets of a milling cutter, it is necessary to securely mount these inserts within the pockets. Typically, such on-edge inserts include side surfaces which contact seating pads within the pocket for support. However, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,117, which illustrates on-edge cutting inserts mounted within the pockets of a toolholder, a unique problem arises. To provide a reversible cutting insert with multiple cutting edges, for a single corner the cutting edges on one side of the insert are angularly shifted relative to those cutting edges on the other side. This creates corners with offset cutting edges and the pocket of the toolholder must be formed to provide clearance for these corners. While this provides adequate clearance for the corners of the cutting insert, this comes at the sacrifice of shortening the seating surfaces in the toolholder pocket, thereby providing less support to the cutting insert that may be available otherwise.
A design is needed for accommodating such on-edge inserts without sacrificing the length of the seating surfaces in the pocket of the toolholder.